The Blank Box
by ExAxL
Summary: Boxes aren't interesting. They're just cardboard squares, right? But what if they have tiny sprites in them that contain emotions? Is that interesting? For Alice, no. For you, yes! So yeah, Wonderland's about to get turned upside down.
1. The Blank Box

**The Blank Box**

**I AM SO SORRY! The reason I haven't updated for almost a month is because of a technical difficulty(my mom) which has completely shut the computer down. I couldn't get on the internet, but now I have a laptop( yes I know, I still live with the dinosaurs) so, I'm back my friends! What better way to come back than with another story? This first chapter might be boring, but it'll definitely pick up after this, so plz continue to read and review!**

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**1. Discovery and Awakening**

The snow was cold against her numb body, the slightest touch made her skin ache. The flimsy white scarf hanging around her neck was barely keeping any warmth, and with all the miles she had left to walk, she might freeze before she reached home. Alice kept the strange square close to her chest, holding it tightly against the wind. She didn't know what this bizarre box was, or why it had been left where it had. But something about it had peaked her interest nonetheless, so she decided to take it home.

April Season was truly amazing, but it did have it's downsides. Each territory had it's own season, and stepping from one to another was tiresome. She hadn't been prepared for the insanity of the blizzard that had found it's way to the Clock and Clover Towers. She trudged through the snow leaving trails of knee deep smearing and footprints. The silhouette of a tower formed in the distance, it's marble statues and clover shaped decorations standing out against the silvery white powder that fell from the sky.

_Finally, I'm almost there._

The warmth inside the tower greeted her full blast, bringing life to her frozen bones and numb skin. She hadn't taken three steps inside when a deep voice frantically called out to her." Alice! Alice, thank the heavens you're back!"

Nightmare pounced on her like some wild animal, using her as a human shield from behind." Oh, Alice, it's been awful! Gray's been trying to make me work all day!"

Alice gave an inaudible sigh." You're the Lord of Clover Tower. Isn't that your job?" she asked. Nightmare merely shook his head, his grip tight around her shoulders. He was about to answer her with another begging plea when his lone silver caught the solid white box in her hands.

" What might that be?" his curiosity getting the best of him. Alice shrugged." I dunno. I tripped over it in the snow, and it looked interesting, so I brought it back. What do you think?"  
Nightmare gingerly took it from her palms, examining it closely." I feel like I've seen this before. Perhaps we should look further into this."

...

Nightmare's study certainly was impressive. He had a passion, as Alice could tell, for the supernatural and mysterious fables of Wonderland. Rows of books lined the dark oak shelves while papers splotched with black and blue ink hung together messily with the help of paperclips. " So what exactly are we looking for?" Alice asked, peeking through the splotchy papers and tattered books. Nightmare sat the tiny box on the desk, turning towards the magnificent shelves.  
" Look for something along the lines of " Spiritual Encounters". I think we'll have more luck there."

_Sure. It'll only take a million years._

Alice sat on the cool tile floor, surrounded by dusty books of all shapes and sizes. They were piling up drastically, encasing her like a shelf. Nightmare sat next to her, his silver eye gracing over the pages of a book titled " Supernatural and Natural", while she was looking at one called " The Fables and Myths of the Foreign."

_It's certainly fitting._

After turning a few more pages, Alice glanced over at Nightmare, who in turn glanced back." Something wrong?" he asked. She didn't want to seem rude, but they really weren't getting anywhere." We've been here for hours and haven't found anything, are you sure we're looking in the right places?"

" Who's to say? I just like to listen to your thoughts while you read. It's very.. relaxing." He stood up, brushing off his knees and striding away, leaving Alice alone with blush painted cheeks.

_W-what is wrong with him!_

_..._

She had spent hours fiddling with the little box, and now her nails were just inches from prying the lid from the rest of the box. _We don't know anything about this box. What if something bad happens, how could we fix it if we knew nothing about it?_ But her curiosity had gotten the best of her, so she lifted the lid and tossed it on the bed. Nothing happened.

" Maybe we were stupid to think this box had some mystical powers," she thought out loud, laughing at herself.

Sitting the box on the dresser, she crawled under the covers and drifted to sleep.

...

" Shhh! Quit moving you idiot! You'll wake her up," a deep yet squeaky voice chided.

" I can't help it. Kushin pushed me!" a squeaky girl's voice murmured.

Aikou! Fundo is yelling at me again!" the same girls voice called.

" Stop being children, all of you! Now, go to the window. The sun is approaching and we should have already left," a slightly non-squeaky voice said.

The three mysterious winged things fluttered to the window, unlocked it, and slid through. The last one, Fundo, looked back at the sleeping girl.

" Tch. So _you _think you can catch _us_ before the Wildflower Festival? Good luck, girlie. Your gonna need it," he snickered.

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**It's been so long since I've written anything. I totally suck now, so forgive me if this has already lost your attention :P And those names have meanings behind them. Whatever the meaning is will be how the person they control acts.**

**Fundo - Anger or Rage**

**Aikou - Love or Adoration**

**Kushin - Pain**

**Sowasowa - Nervous or Uneasy**


	2. Beginning

**The Blank Box**

**First off, I really need to thank everybody who has stuck around for another lame fic. Since the computer I had originally stored all my documents on has been shut down, there's gonna be a hold on a few stories.**

**I REPEAT - THERE WILL BE A HOLD ON:**

**Destructive Memories  
Heartland High**

**Possibly the Sea King. Not sure yet**

**Other then that, I should be pretty well off. And speaking of which, I finally have an account on Deviantart. Therefore, I'd like a challenge. Any requests in mind?**

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2. Beginning

Sunlight crawled up the blanket, slithering to Alice's eyes. She tossed lightly, pulling the covers over her head. _It can't be morning already._

But it was morning. Time to get up and go do whatever the day called for, or at least she thought. Tossing over on her side, the plain little box from yesterday caught her eye, reminding her of how ridiculous it had been for her to actually believe that box might have been magical. She leaned up and stepped out of bed, the stone floor cold against her feet. Placing the lid back on the box, she moved to get dressed for the day.

...

Clover Tower never had a moment's rest, that was undeniable. As Alice walked down the bustling halls, a hum coming from her lips, Nightmare came running down the hall like a mad man. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her wildly.  
" Alice, I need your help!" he cried.

She sighed deeply." Please don't tell me your running _again_."

He didn't answer back, just dragged her towards his room." Gray's been like this ever since the sun came up. I can't get him to stop crying for the life of me," Nightmare muttered.

" Wait, you mean Gray is actually_ crying_?"

" Yes, it's horribly annoying, and he just won't stop. I have no idea what's gotten into him, nor does Julius."

_It must be serious._

" You have no idea."

Nightmare wasn't exagerating when he said Gray was in tears. The lizard sat there, weeping his mechanic little heart out. No matter how many times Alice or her two friends tried talking to him, he just ignored them and continued to cry.  
" Please stop already, this is ridiculous," Nightmare sighed." If you won't do it for us, at least do it for yourself. You look like a fool," Julius chided.

" I-I don't know w-why, I just c-can't stop," Gray cried, steamy saltwater flowing down his cheeks and darkening his navy collar." Really? I hadn't noticed," Nightmare stated, sarcasm dripping from his words.

After a moment of silence between the three, Nightmare smacked a fist into his open palm." Alice, do you still have that box?" She nodded." Go get it, quickly! I can't stand this for another second."

...

" I knew it!" Nightmare said triumphantly.

" What have you ever known?" Julius glared at him.

" Hmph. As I was saying, this is the Spirit box, descendent of Pandora's Box."

Alice thought for a moment. Where had she heard that name before?

" Didn't Pandora's Box hold all the sorrow of the world inside it? All the bad emotions and feelings?"

" That right! However," Nightmare looked at the square thoroughly," this is it's descendent. Instead of just bad emotions, it holds good emotions too.. Or it used to, anyway."

" Whoever opened that damned thing has caused one huge problem. How much time before the effects are permanent?" Julius muttered, waiting for a negative answer.

" I guess a week or two. There's never a set time with this kind of curse," Nightmare answered," but I have to wonder who opened it in the first place."

_Oh.. crap._

That got Nightmare's attention." Alice,_ you _opened the box?"

" Why would you do something so idiotic?" Julius asked, more surprised than mad.

" What? I didn't know there was a curse inside it! You never said there was something wrong with it so why are you yelling at me?"

Nightmare glanced at her, then to the window, only to let out a startling laugh." I wonder how the other Roleholders are holding up. I bet the Sprites have already set their pawns."  
" Pawns?" Alice questioned." What do you mean by pawns? Are they playing a game?"

" In their eyes, but from our point of view, it's the point of being crazy."

_Sorry, I still don't get it. _

" The Sprites I mentioned earlier were trapped in the Spirit Box. While Pandora's Box held all things negative, this box has both negative and positive. And those Sprites are the vessels the emotion runs through.  
My guess is that the Sprite of Sadness is using Gray as it's pawn."

_So the Sprite's emotion makes it's person act like that. Well, now we know why Gray is sobbing like there's no tomorrow, but how do we stop it?_

" That's a good question. Unfortunately, I haven't the slightest idea. So until a solution comes up, we better find out how the others are adjusting to the new visitors."

" Why? Just to have our heads taken off?" Julius said, excusing himself." Well, it's either that or you can stay here and listening to that," Alice laughed, pointing back at Gray who was now wiping the tear stained desk with his sleeve.

Julius glanced over at the weeping workaholic."..So when do we leave?"

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**Ready to get outta there, huh Julius? And in conclusion to this chapter, here is a wonderful question. We need to see which Roleholders will be affected by the Sprites?**


	3. The Shyness Within and The Fear Within

**The Blank Box**

**Since I'm finally able to post things again, I'm wondering which stories should have my attention. That's still up for debate as well. And I'm thinking about starting up another anime swap(pssh, like I really need to start another story!" and I already have one which I'll be posting as soon as I have about 3 chapters complete. And remember that I'm taking drawing requests, so if I can manage it, you'll eventually see it on deviantart.**

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3. The Shyness Within; The Fear Within

Alice felt guilty about leaving Gray behind. Even though there wasn't anything wrong with him, she still felt sad seeing him cry as they left. But her mind was easily taken off that as the birds started singing in the trees. The woods were always a nice place to forget about troubles. And right now, Alice had a ton of them.

Neither of the three said anything to each other. just followed the dirt path side by side. "... Do you hear that?" Julius asked.

Stopping in their tracks, Alice and Nightmare listened. They heard nothing. The wind let out a faint whistle, nothing more." Julius, are you sure you heard something?"

" He did. I hear it too!" Nightmare gasped. It sounds like someone was crying and whimpering, loudly too. _What on Earth?_

Moving closer, the crying got louder." Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Nightmare snickered. Alice nudged him in the arm and moved closer. They were close to Hatter Territory, so this couldn't be good.

".. Elliot?"

Elliot was clinging to a nearby tree, far from the gate in front of them. His eyes were dull, smeared by panic and fear. His arms were shaking, wrapped around the trunk of the tree." Alice? Alice!"  
He jumped from the tree and sprang towards her.

" Out of the way, the Hare's gone nuts!" Nightmare cried, bolting for the bushes. Julius stumbled to the other side of the road, keeping out of Elliot's way.

_When all else fails, use me as bait. Thanks a lot, you guys._

Elliot collided with her, knocking her flat on her back while he buried his face in the crook of her neck." Alice, you have to help me! Please, save me!" Elliot shouted, making her eardrums vibrate.  
" It's so scary around here!"

She smacked him away, leaning up to look him in the eyes." Scary? What's scary?"

" My guess is that the Sprite of Fear is using him as a pawn," Nightmare said, climbing out of the bushes. The three friends grouped around the startled hare.

" Nightmare, do you really think a Sprite is causing this. I mean, I can understand that being the case, but can it really happen so quickly?"

Nightmare put a hand to his chin." Like I said, there's never a set time for these things. It can take a few hours or a few weeks to be affected by a Sprite's power."

" Elliot, get off!"

He did as he was told, shivering the entire time." My guess is the whole Hatter Mafia has been affected by the Sprites," Alice concluded." Oh.._ God_," Nightmare thought aloud, sickened by the thought.  
" I guess we should check it out."

Everything was normal as the group made their way to the gate, Elliot clinging behind Alice like a frightened child. The twins were gone, which didn't surprise any of them. Pushing the gates apart, they made their way inside the mansion.

" I don't know why, but I'm s-so scared. Why is it so scary here?" she heard Elliot say, muffled by his scarf. Shaking her head, the group continued forward, only for Alice to stop in her tracks when she saw someone hiding behind a rose bush.

" .. Blood? Uh, what exactly are you doing?" she questioned.

Upon hearing her voice, he ducked behind the flower filled shrub, barely peaking out from behind to see them." W-What do you want?" he stuttered. Moving closer only made him hide even more," Go away. S-Stay away from me!" he cried, diving into the shrubbery.  
" Blood, what's your problem?" Alice asked, her hands on her hips.

" In all honesty, he doesn't have one. It's probably just another Sprite," Nightmare sighed. Wiping the tiny sweat beads from her forehead, Alice beckoned Blood to come closer." C'mon, we're gonna go to the Castle of Hearts, so you can either follow us, or you have to stay here."

...

It took them a while to figure out that Blood had actually followed them, sneaking around behind trees and hiding behind bushes and shrubs. But they kept their heads up nonetheless, traveling down the dirt path towards the castle. But after a brief period of thinking, Alice slowly came to a stop.

_Maybe this isn't such a good idea.._

" And why do you think that?" Nightmare asked from beside her. Julius just stood there, looking at them. More silence passed the group, and Alice shook her head." Oh, nevermind. It's nothing," she laughed nervously. As she carried on with Elliot, who was still clinging mercilessly to her, Nightmare nudged Julius." It's certainely not nothing. Keep an eye on her." He nodded.

A little ways ahead of them, Alice trudged on with Elliot gripping her tightly." A-Alice?" he stuttered." Yeah, Elliot?" He cleared his throat." I-I'm really sorry a-about this. I-I don't know why but I'm s-so scared! Please don't leave me alone!" he cried, pressing his face into her back." Elliot, it's fine. It's not your fault. Whether you can tell or not, a Sprite is using your body to hide, and that's why your acting this way, so don't worry."

"O-Okay, if you say so.." he sighed, sounding relieved. His grip loosened on her shoulders." So what's this Sprite gonna do to me? Is it bad?" he asked. Alice simply shook her head." That's just it. We don't know anything about them, but at the moment we're pretty sure they won't hurt anyone."

The castle was coming into view, the grand maze that twisted it's way across the opening seemed longer than before. As Alice stepped down the long winding hill that led them to the maze, a loud, yet deep screaming filled the air.

" What the-! Nightmare! Julius! What's wrong!" she cried. No one responded." Ohh, something got em'" Elliot whimpered. Behind his muffled crying, Alice heard rustling, mixed with footsteps, coming towards them.

She curled next to Elliot, who was moving closer as well." Come on you guys! This isn't funny!"

The crackling of twigs and leaves kept going, and a figure stepped out into the sunlight.

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**Finally got that out of the way(happydanceplz) and it's only the beginning. MUAHAHAHAH!*cough cough* Anyway, it is now 2:40 pm. Let's see if I can get another chapter done :P**


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